CEOs push back against Trump temporary immigration ban

1of4Executives at technology companies, which employ many immigrants, were some of the first to speak out. Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees in a memo obtained by the Associated Press that his company does not support the order. It could be risky for businesses to speak out publicly since Trump likes to fight back and criticize companies from his Twitter account. But public relations experts said businesses have no choice, especially if the ban negatively affects their employees or customers.Photo: Richard Drew /Associated Press

2of4The heads of Ford, Apple and Goldman Sachs say they don’t support the executive order the president signed last week. Ford says it does not support the policy “or any other that goes against our values as a company,” according to a letter signed by the automaker’s CEO Mark Fields, shown in this 2015 photo, and Executive Chairman Bill Ford. The auto industry, a frequent target of Trump’s ire for moving jobs overseas, is walking a fine line.Photo: Getty Images /File photo

3of4Starbucks Corp. CEO Howard Schultz, on the weekend that Trump’s immigration order was enacted, wrote he had a “heavy heart” and that the coffee chain plans to hire 10,000 refugees over five years around the world. For companies with younger, urban and likely more liberal customers, standing up to Trump can be an effective strategy.Photo: Richard Drew /Associated Press

4of4President Donald Trump signs an executive order Friday that includes a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program. Trump said the executive order, signed Friday, was necessary to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to the U.S.Photo: Susan Walsh /Associated Press

NEW YORK — CEOs of some of the world’s biggest companies are fighting back against President Donald Trump’s temporary immigration ban, calling it un-American and bad for business.

The heads of Apple, Ford and Goldman Sachs said they don’t support the executive order the president signed last week, which bans immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Google said it is donating cash to organizations that support immigrants. Other companies said they will help employees affected by the ban or, in the case of Starbucks, hire refugees.

Businesses already have a complicated relationship with Trump, who has been openly critical of companies planning to build plants in Mexico or charge what he sees as too much for fighter jets. Some have announced hiring plans and investments in the U.S., saying they like Trump’s proposals to reduce regulation and lower corporate taxes.

But the corporate reaction to the executive order was strong, quick and harsh.

“This is unprecedented,” said Bill Klepper, an adjunct management professor at Columbia Business School in New York.

Trump said the executive order, signed Friday, was necessary to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to the U.S. It included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program. The White House did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

It could be risky for businesses to speak out publicly since Trump likes to fight back and criticize companies from his Twitter account. But public relations experts said businesses have no choice, especially if the ban negatively affects their employees or customers.

“No company has gone out of business putting their customers and employees first,” said Matt Friedman, co-founder of Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Executives at technology companies, which employ many immigrants, were some of the first to speak out. Tim Cook, the CEO of iPhone maker Apple Inc., told employees in a memo obtained by the Associated Press that his company does not support the order. Apple “would not exist without immigration,” Cook said.

CEOs from e-commerce companies Amazon.com Inc., eBay Inc. and Etsy Inc. also said they did not support Trump’s order, as did the head of video-streaming company Netflix Inc.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote on Facebook, “Trump’s actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world, and are so un-American it pains us all.”

Coca-Cola Co. CEO Muhtar Kent said the soda maker was against the travel ban, and General Electric Co. CEO Jeff Immelt said the industrial conglomerate would make its “voice heard” with the new administration and Congress.

Ford Motor Co. said it does not support the policy “or any other that goes against our values as a company,” according to a letter signed by the automaker’s CEO Mark Fields and Executive Chairman Bill Ford.

General Motors Co. sent a notice to employees saying it will support any employees traveling back to the U.S. with a visa who encounter difficulties. But other automakers, including Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co., were silent.

The auto industry, a frequent target of Trump’s ire for moving jobs overseas, is walking a fine line, trying to avoid punishing tariffs and hoping Trump gives them some relief on corporate taxes and fuel economy standards.

And Goldman Sachs Group Inc., whose former employees are some of Trump’s most trusted advisers, also pushed back.

“This is not a policy we support,” the bank’s CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, said in a voice mail to employees.

Other Wall Street firms took a softer approach. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s operating committee, led by CEO Jamie Dimon, said in a memo to staff that it’s “grateful for the hard work and sacrifices made to keep our country safe,” and that the country was “strengthened by the rich diversity of the world around us.” It didn’t express an opinion on the policy.

Wells Fargo & Co., Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp. said they were monitoring the ban’s impact on employees. Citigroup Inc. CEO Mike Corbat said the lender was “concerned” about the message the order sends.

Mastercard Inc. CEO Ajay Banga, citing his own status as an immigrant, said in a memo to staff that he’s “deeply concerned” about the ban, which he said has caused a “fracture in our society.”

BlackRock Inc. “will continue to embrace our values and culture, notwithstanding the challenges created by this order,” the world’s largest money manager said in a memo to staff signed by CEO Larry Fink and other company executives. “We, of course, all want to promote security and combat terrorism, but we believe it needs to be done with respect for due process, individual rights and the principle of inclusion.”

Google, the internet search company owned by Alphabet Inc., plans to give as much as $4 million to four organizations that provide legal assistance and other services to immigrants. The crisis fund will consist of $2 million from the company and $2 million in employee donations. Google is worried that Trump’s executive order will harm many of its current workers and their families, and will make it more difficult to hire technically skilled workers from outside the U.S.

Ride-hailing app Lyft said it will give $1 million over the next four years to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lyft’s co-founders, Logan Green and John Zimmer, said they “will not be silent on issues that threaten the values of our community.”

Drugmaker Merck & Co. said it will offer legal advice and other assistance to its employees.

Uber, the ride-hailing app, said it will offer financial help to employees affected by the ban. The company’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, is part of Trump’s economic advisory group and said he will bring up the issue with the president on Friday in Washington.

Uber, however, faced backlash on Saturday after Twitter users criticized the company and encouraged riders to delete the app for charging less than it could at JFK Airport in New York as taxi drivers halted service for an hour to protest the ban. The move was perceived by some as an effort to profit off the protests as more passengers would need to seek alternatives to cabs.

Starbucks Corp. said it will hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years at its coffee shops around the world and focus on employing those who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters. But taking a position on political matters can be risky for companies; the hashtag @BoycottStarbucks was trending on Twitter on Monday.

“I am hearing the alarm you all are sounding that the civility and human rights we have all taken for granted for so long are under attack,” he said in a letter to workers.